This April 18th, we recognize the 6th annual National Transgender HIV Testing Day (NTHTD). NTHTD was created to highlight ways to reduce HIV transmission, HIV stigma and promote routine HIV testing for transgender and gender non-binary folks – a population that experiences a disproportionately high rates of HIV transmission.

Every year, National Transgender HIV Testing Day spotlights the importance of routine HIV testing, status awareness, and continued focus on HIV prevention and treatment efforts among transgender and gender non-binary folks. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), in 2017 the percentage of transgender people who received a new HIV diagnosis was three times higher than the national average. Furthermore, this disproportionate impact is only further exacerbated among racial/ethnic groups —Between 2006 and 2017, approximately 44% of transgender women living with diagnosed HIV were Black.

In recognition of NTHTD, we encourage everyone today and throughout the year to engage with national and local organizations helping to address these social determinants of health and reduce the stark health disparities experienced by those in the transgender and gender non-binary community. We also have included a really great podcast from the folks at Exclusively Inclusive podcast. In this episode Erin Everett, NP-C, AAHIVS, an HIV Specialist, provides an overview of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV). including a discussion of everything from HIV Symptoms and Transmission to HIV Prevention and Testing. She also covers the current rates of HIV diagnoses, as well as the efficacy and side effects of HIV Treatment medications.

As COVID-19 continues to stymy our abilities to provide our typical services, public health workers and advocacy organizations like CAP and Prism Health are adjusting practices and protocols to ensure access to HIV treatment and care continues during this time. In light of the pandemic, please be sure to call ahead to check on healthcare location closures and the availability of services. While HIV treatment providers’ offices may not be accessible during this time, information on programs offering telehealth services and telemedicine treatment is available through HRSA. You can also find out how and where we are offering various testing services in our Spring into Testing story!

About Cascade AIDS Project

CAP is a non-profit organization that was founded in 1985 as a grassroots response to the AIDS crisis. As the oldest and largest community-based HIV services provider in Oregon and southwest Washington, we seek to support and empower all people with or affected by HIV, reduce stigma, and provide the LGBTQ+ community with compassionate healthcare. We do so by helping to ensure the health and well-being of our program participants each year through health, housing, and other social services. When the need for affordable, accessible, and culturally affirming primary care services was identified as a community need, we responded by opening Prism Health in 2017.  More information can be found at www.capnw.org.